Italian fresh-cut vegetable and ready meal producer La Linea Verde has reported an estimated turnover of €238 million in 2017, up 6% compared to the previous year.
The company says that this positive performance was driven by excellent market results in Italy, as well as across its international operations.
According to sales manager Andrea Battagliola, La Linea Verde has maintained its leadership position in the Italian soup market thanks to the strong growth of the Le Zuppe Fresche DimmidiSì line.
In addition, the group has also seen marked growth in its Burger Fresco and Insalatone Arricchite product lines. Battagliola credits “a range of good quality products, increasingly appreciated by consumers" for the increase, as well as "an advertising investment plan that has given tangible results”.
Continued Expansion
La Linea Verde’s Spanish subsidiary, Vegetales Línea Verde Navarra, accounts for around 35% of overall group revenues.
The Spanish unit recently signed a new agreement with the Grupo Elaborados Naturales for the acquisition of a production site in Lodosa, specialising in the production of sauces, potato salad and sandwiches.
With the acquisition of the Lodosa factory, which has a production capacity of more than 200 tonnes a day, Vegetales Línea Verde Navarra plans to accelerate growth in Spain and strengthen its product offering, enabling it to respond to increased demand from Europe-wide customers.
The company has also said that it will start supplying local retailer Mercadona with sauces, potato salad rolls and similar products.
La Linea Verde is also planning to extend operations in Eastern Europe, and recently opened a commercial office and production facility in Serbia.
The group's new vegetable processing and packaging plant is located in Dobrinci, near Ruma, and the initial investment is estimated at €8 million. The plant produces ready-to-eat salads and has a production area of 6,000 square metres.
At the same time, work continues on the enlargement of the company’s main production site in Italy, located in Manerbio, near Brescia.
One of the areas that the company is increasingly focusing on is organic; a market worth an estimated €3 billion in Italy, where it is present with a special product line called Alce Nero.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
